While the Cardinals watch the Mets play in next week’s World Series at home in St. Louis, at least they won’t have to search long and hard for the reasons. They just have to look in the mirror.

They can’t blame the late injuries to starter Garrett Stephenson and catcher Mike Matheny. And. really, they can’t even take the solace of saying the Amazin’s just outdueled them in an NLCS classic. Fact is, last night’s 7-0 Game 5 loss was indicative of the rest of the series; they fumbled and bumbled it away with shady fielding and silly mistakes and shoddy play.

“They played better than us,” said Will Clark, after seeing the Cards make eight errors – they had a ninth reversed last night – and strand 35 men on base in the first four games. They were so inept against Mike Hampton last night, they only had four baserunners, and stranded them all. When asked how a team that looked so good in sweeping the Braves in the NLDS could look this bad, Clark said “Next question.”

When the question was posed by another reporter moments later, he said “You’re gonna ask the same question this guys asked? Geeez, lady. I’ve been in the game 15 years. I’m not gonna fall for that bull.”

Neither did manager Tony La Russa, who picked his words carefully when asked that question.

“That’s one of those questions that I don’t answer it the way some people would like me to answer it. I’m going to answer it in a way that I can walk in that clubhouse and have a team tomorrow,” La Russa said. “We had the same factors playing the Braves that we had here. [Then] we had clutch at-bats, we made the pitch. In this series, the Mets played better at those crucial times.”

Before the game, La Russa had said if he had three wishes, they’d be 1) to win last night and get the series back to St. Louis, 2) to stretch the series to Game 7, and 3) to have errant rookie Rick Ankiel have some success. La Russa went 0-for-3, which is what CF Jim Edmonds went, with three strikeouts.

La Russa managed to get Mark McGwire, possibly the most dangerous pinch-hitter of all-time, just two official at-bat in the series. Ankiel threw two more wild pitches last night. Fernando Tatis’ two-error sixth helped seal Game 4, and the Cards had two more errors in the first inning last night as the Mets jumped to a 3-0 lead and never trailed.